adventuring pt 2

So, who would be the real-life adventurer of today? There are several possibilities, to explore. First, though, I think we should - more or less - define what I mean by an adventurer. In role playing games, adventurers make their living, and (they hope) their fortune and reputation/reknown by adventuring. You rescue the rich rancher's daughter from kidnappers, you kill a monster and take his/her horde, you travel - a LOT - usually by walking or riding a horse. It isn't a comfortable or easy life, unless you live to make your fortune and get to retire. Basically, it boils down to this, though, adventures tend to live off the land. That may not mean they have to catch or find everything they eat, but there is an element of that, to be sure. They pay for the things they buy with the funds gained by their trip through the land, or trade what they find for what they want.

So, lets look at the adventurers of history and fiction. Historical and fantasy fiction is full of adventurers whether it is the Four Musketeers or The Fellowship of the Ring. They were the inspiration for most role playing games. The reality in those times was that traveling from one village to the next was considered an adventure and most people may have travelled less than 10 miles from their homes in their lifetimes. Even at that, though, people lived closer to the land, and might have to hunt or gather to provide some of their food. Tribal peoples, with a primitive culture still adventure for their daily bread, in my opinion. Even in a little more advanced ages, if you wanted to seek your fortune, you went off somewhere to do it (an adventuring element) even if it was just to university or the city. Adventurers face the unknown. They often have had to experience some kind of devistating disaster, as well, to tip them out of their familiar life and set them on the road.

So what about the modern adventurer? Well, there are certainly several possibilities here: soldiers, policemen, fire/rescue personel all face danger and saving lives is certain part of their job descriptions. But there are other elements of the adventurer that they just don't meet. They may find reputation and reknown in their endeavors, but riches? Not usually. Like teachers and other "public servants," they tend to underapaid, and while they may get the occasional reward, they certainly aren't gaining riches by looting.

I think that shows that we should look in other directions. What about the new(ish) extreme sports atheletes? They are certainly living on the edge, honing their mad leet skilz. Sorry, a little gamer geek speak in there... While these folk certainly like an adventure, and experiment with the edge of the known, they are not really "on a mission." They can make material gain by their efforts, but again, no loot. No living off the land, really. So, where do we look next?

Well, the homeless, and the vagabonds certainly seem to fit the bill, wandering from place to place, living on what they find and trade for, supplimented by the kindnessess of others. They have faced some sort of disaster to set them on the road. They certainly face plenty of unkown and dangers. I'm sure that some do qualify, working their way up from their personal "low place" to a more conventional lifestyle. Still, it wouldn't seem what we think of when we think of those romanticised adventurers.

Here is another group I would like to set forth. The immigrant. Especially a frontier immigrant. Someone who may have to cut his home, life and livelyhood out of the resources available. This is a person who may have breeding, money, and abilities, and may have to use all of them to survive. Those attributes may not make them more successful then someone more common, either. Of course many of these immigrants faced the same obstacles as the indiginious peoples of those "frontiers" which would, in a way, back up my claim and primitive peoples were adventurers, living off the land.

So, where does that leave us in modern times. I mean, really, you can't go around killing people and taking their stuff... can you? Even killing "the bad guys" is pretty likely to land you in jail. There aren't that many "wild" places left, and even those are spoken for. You can just move in and build your house there. Must we wait for an apocalypse so the survivors can again live off the land? Loot and profit from it in a socially acceptable way? Personally, I think - and hope - that our next adventurers are already in the making. This planet is already overcrowded and our resources over-extended. Its time to move out. Oh sure, I've spent waaayyy too much time watching Star Trek. But I'm not really talking about astronauts. I'm talking about people who will live and work in space. People who will be known as engineers, miners, etc, not astronauts. I think there are resources in our solar system that we could untilize. We just need to put our minds to it, and find those adventurous souls who are willing to go. You could pick me, I'm willing, but I don't think I'd be of much use. Will there be setbacks and disasters? Oh, my, yes. When is there not? Still, we CAN do it, and it is there to be done. Adventuring into space, "The final frontier."